This week I’ve baked two birthday cakes, packed twenty school lunches, cooked seven dinners, washed a gazillion clothes, fed the dog, cleaned the car, vacuumed the house, and I also walked into a cobweb by accident and became an instant karate master. 🙂 Yeah, that’s what my son said as he watched in awe, and I’m going with that.
On top of all that, I’m an author, an artist, unwavering, setting aside eight hours a day to write. I’m completely organized, not that you’d tell it from the piles of work sitting everywhere in my office, but I am. And lastly, I’m real.
All authors are. We have family to care for, usually a secondary job (because that pays the bills,) and a ton of other commitments, yet we’re tireless in our dedication to our craft.
This week that’s really hit home as I worked my butt off to finish line edits, and proof the galley of WARRIOR’s final file. In amongst that, I had another book going through its final round of content edits, and yet another going through pre-edits. My fabulous editor worked equally as hard as me, and the morning I received my book’s final files from my publisher, it was to discover all that hard work had paid off big time. My publisher notified me she’d moved WARRIOR’s release date forward by two months. Yes, two months, to September 2nd, and all due to being so ahead of deadlines. Yee-ha! It was totally unexpected, and it totally blewme away.
So, over the weekend I launched into promotion mode for WARRIOR’s upcoming release. I emailed files to YA reviewers and spent several hours creating a book trailer, although that’s just the beginning. Yep, those authors who’ve released books are right now nodding their heads. It’s a big job to promote, and it takes a lot of time. Time we’d rather spend writing.
But this participation in promoting our own work, whether authors go traditional, or self-publish is the reality for all writers. We not only have to write, but we have to promote and sell our work. We can’t get away from it. It’s the simple truth.
Which is the reason for this post. AUTHOR: Artist, Unwavering, Tremendously Hard-working, Organized, Real.
Click “like” on this blog post if you agree and you’re one of these AUTHORS.
Lastly, if you have a moment, take a look at the youtube video I created for WARRIOR. I had a ton of fun making it, and couldn’t wait to share it with you all.
WARRIOR TRAILER:
Have a fabulous week. If you want to drop a comment, make sure you do. I love hearing from you all.
I love when I’m reading and a new location comes into play within a scene. The visual description the author brings to the reader is so important. And as writers we have ensure we cover all the elements we need for the reader to have the same image in their mind that we do in ours.
Each time I have to describe a new location, from a simple passageway, to a bedroom, or a sweeping panorama, I ask myself the following questions.
What are 2 to 4 key components of this place? These are the items which stand out with clear emphasis. Use more if you need them.
What are 1 to 3 small features that will take this description and make it something special? Examples of this are like the stitching in bedcovers, the fabrics used on furniture, or a cobweb in the corner of a room. Find something unique that will push your description in the direction you want it to go.
Is this place important? What’s its history? (Sometimes, only the author needs to know this question, but there are times when this is shared with the reader during the description because it’s important to the storyline.)
Remember the five senses. Sight, smell, taste, feel and speak.
And ensure you show your reader what you’re seeing. This is so important.
Now, not all the answers will be used, but most of them will within the scene. Most importantly, these detailed descriptions I’m speaking of come when you show your location for the first time. When you bring this same location back in another scene, there will be less description needed because you have already drawn it. So, let’s jump to it and see some examples, because I find it’s so important to add a showing to my posts.
Example one: To set this scene, the heroine is out riding in the outback.
We rode, our surroundings still beautiful in spite of the harsh drought. Brilliant colors shimmered around us, red the predominant, with the dusty landscape broken by the towering gum trees. Beyond the rocky hills, the Ridge rose steeply to meet the rich blue of the sky. The sight enthralled, because the Ridge was like a slab of stone appearing out of nowhere.
Example two: To set this scene, the heroine is relaxing on the beach of a small private island with her brother. Here, her brother becomes part of the scene description to describe the relaxed feel of the location.
For miles either side, the land was all high, jagged cliff faces with only one single track leading inland through the jungle. Near the beginning of the track, her brother had slung a colorful hammock and rested, his straw hat drawn low over his head as he rocked in the gentle breeze.
Example three: To set this scene, the heroine has never been to this place before. She’s walking down a passageway and into a bedroom that’s far more than what she’s used to seeing.
The passageway was wide, yet dimly lit with wall sconces holding candlelike bulbs. She didn’t slow since all the doors were closed, but at the fifth which she’d been told was hers, she halted. The ornate brass knob was curved, and she pushed it open. Wow. The room was three times the size of what she had back home. And from the size of that bed, she’d get lost in it.
She headed across the polished wooden flooring and gripped one of the four carved hardwood posts that rose high above the bed to support a canopy of sheer lace netting. She pushed one corner of the lace aside, and smoothed her hand over the violet silk covers. So pretty, with detailed stitching in mauve and gold thread.
Example four: To set this scene, the heroine is standing on a rocky cliff face before a large palace.
She stood on the precipice and stared down its craggy side. The ocean was eerily beautiful, almost beyond magnificent in its violent splendor.
Turning on her heel, she saw the palace. Wind whipped her hair about as she gazed up. So unreal. It was four floors in height and constructed of large blocks of gray-black stone. From each of the many corners, a slender tower rose to double the height of the palace, at least a dozen towers visible from her position. This residence was a fortress, although a stunning one with light shining from behind stained glass from the largest of the windows.
So, in writing detailed location descriptions, your goal is to bring your reader into the location you’ve set. Have them standing there, touching, feeling and seeing what you do. I hope you enjoyed this post, and that it aided you in some way.
Have a fabulous week. If you want to drop a comment, make sure you do. I love hearing from you all.
This is no ordinary beach. Stay tuned to find out what makes this slice of paradise so special.
Let me introduce you to New Zealand’s Hot Water Beach. Above is a picture of one of the most isolated and unusual beaches in the world, and being a Kiwi, I just couldn’t pass up this opportunity to share this magical place with you.
Hot Water Beach is as good as its name. Yes, it’s a beach where if you arrive two hours before or after low tide, you can bring a spade and hollow out a hole which fills with natural hot water. What? It’s true. The hot water actually seeps up from below and through the sand to fill the hole. Those in this picture are just beginning the dig, but I’ve tunnelled out some big holes there in my time, and seriously, once the hard work is done, you simply get to sit back, relax and enjoy what I’d call an exclusive spa experience with a view to kill, and all without having to pay a cent.
This beach has got to be one of my favorite spots. I love taking a dip in the ocean, then warming up afterwards in my very own hot water pool. Yep, gotta love that.
So, how does this phenomenon happen?
New Zealand sits on the Pacific Rim of Fire. I know, that sounds completely scary, but in actual fact it isn’t. It just means we have a lot of deep underground reservoirs of superheated water and with it, unusual geothermal activity like what happens at Hot Water Beach. Here at this beach there are two springs which the hot water escapes up from far below the surface. The water cools on its way up, and once hitting the surface, only comes forth if you dig for it. That’s what makes this beach so unique. A little digging, and the hot water rises. It certainly makes for a wonderful experience if you’re ever in my neck of the woods to come and see.
It’s this uniqueness to my country which is why I use locations like this one in my books. You’ve got to write what you know, and I love bringing readers right here, to the one place in the world I hold close to my heart. So, if you ever want a taste of my country, check out PROTECTOR, and any of my other soon-to-be released novels. They’re all set within New Zealand, The Land of the Long White Cloud.
Here’s what one reviewer said of PROTECTOR’S scene descriptions (which I totally adored.)
“Throughout Protector Joanne Wadsworth does a great job of developing character and keeping the tension between Faith and Davio high. Her worldbuilding is packed with magic and fun, and her settings, from the beaches and mountains of New Zealand to the tumultuous oceans and towering cliffs of Magio, are breathtaking.”
You can probably see why I like it. Take care and have a fabulous week. If you want to drop a comment, make sure you do. I love hearing from you all.
Do you feel the cat’s conflict? The little mouse on his ear, I’m sure, went flying one second after this photo was taken. Anyway, keep reading, and check out exactly how we as writers, can create tension and conflict in our first five pages, thereby drawing the reader in. (Sorry about the “thereby.” I’m writing historical romance at the moment, and you might find the odd “aged” word appearing within the passages below.) *chuckles*
Greetings my fellow writersHey everyone,
As writers we sometimes struggle with how our story should begin. We want to craft our first few pages in a way that draws the reader in. The last thing we want is for them to set our book down, to forget it, or to never pick it up again. So here, I’ve compiled a list of techniques to aid the writer in crafting a strong first five pages.
Open with a strong hook.
The first line of your book is crucial.
The first paragraph even more so.
And the first scene has to truly pack a punch.
So, how do we do this? Consider the main point of tension within your first chapter, and ideally try to work your first paragraph around that issue. The key is to captivate your reader into needing to know more. That means don’t go laying out all the facts, but aim to entice.
To aid you with this, a great way to open your first page is with dialogue. It’s a method which allows you to introduce your main character and highlight the point of tension all in one go. If the dialogue isn’t in the first line, then try to incorporate it in the first paragraph.
Don’t give me thirty characters in the first few pages.
If there’s one way to turn off a reader, it’s by confusion. Keep it simple. Spotlight your main characters right away so your reader becomes grounded from the start. Allow your reader to focus on them, to form a bond with them, to be invested in them.
Never forget that when a writer gives a character a name, the reader will automatically store that name, and expect that character to be someone of importance. That means, don’t go naming your non-important characters, and that goes for the entire book. As an example, the waitress who serves you coffee in the café, can just be the waitress.
You have a clever reader.
This is something I tell myself all the time, but continuously as I write the first few pages. “I have a clever reader.” It means as writers, we need to allow our reader to piece together the story without our continual input. Sure, give small hints, but don’t tell them everything. That way they’ll have a more fulfilling experience as they read right from the very first page.
Reflections.
Reflections in the first few pages should rarely be written in. This is where the main characters reflect on their life or past situations. They’re getting deep and meaningful, when really you need to highlight the actual tension and conflict of your story.
Save the reflections for where they’re needed.
Remember most readers will judge a book by its first few pages.
Generally readers will peek at the first few pages of a book, and based on what they read, decide whether or not to buy it. That means no grammar mistakes are allowed from the very first line. Proofread thoroughly.
I hope you’ve found these tips and techniques helpful. You may even have your own special tip or technique you’d like to add. Drop me a comment and let me know. I love hearing from you guys.
